How do you choose the best ColdFusion hosting provider for your company’s
project or app?
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Contents
- How To Choose The Best ColdFusion Hosting Provider
- Unreliable CF hosting leads to
- How To Decide Which ColdFusion Hosting is Right For You
- CF Enterprise VS CF Standard
- Hosting Security
- Site Backup
- Web Hosting Support
- Scalability
- Price Point
- How Do We Pick the Best ColdFusion Hosting Company?
- In-House ColdFusion Hosting VS Managed Hosting?
- In-House ColdFusion Hosting
- Managed ColdFusion Hosting
- Co-location ColdFusion Hosting
- ColdFusion is in the Cloud
- What's new and changed in ColdFusion 2023
- Adobe ColdFusion Hosting in the Cloud
- xByte Adobe Coldfusion Cloud Hosting
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Digital Ocean
- GCP (Google Cloud Platform)
- Illuminated Hosting Services
- Microsoft Azure
- Side note on Docker
-
Related: Mark Drew offers an enlightening perspective on how to get
started with Docker in our podcast, Getting Started Fast with
Docker.
- Adobe ColdFusion Hosting
- Coalesce
- CFDynamics
- Hostek
- Media3
- Newtek Technology Services
- Vivio Technologies
- Lucee CFML Hosting
- Hostek
- Hostmedia
- xByte Lucee Cloud Hosting
- Lightsail
- Linode
- Conclusion About ColdFusion Hosting
This is an updated 2023 independent review of the top ColdFusion hosting
services.
The wrong choice can create issues that become fatal. Painful mistakes
occur when:
- Unreliable CF hosting leads to
- servers crashing,
- costing your company vital traffic,
- user trust, and
- potential revenue.
- Slow CF hosting can
- reduce usability,
- cause user dissatisfaction, and
- impact the adoption of the product.
-
The result could mean the new project fails, and your company’s
profits and market share decrease.
-
Slow performance can also impact SEO ranking, sending your site to
page two or worse in the search results, which impacts your
visibility.
-
Security issues and data-napping remain ever-present dangers with
lower-quality hosts.
Let us help you select the best ColdFusion vendor for your situation. This
means avoiding the headaches of deciding between so many different CF
hosting companies, so let's eliminate our enemy and start our journey!
Note: The companies listed below do not pay or compensate TeraTech.
And unlike many other articles on CF hosting, we don’t use affiliate links
either.
We have listed companies alphabetically below to avoid bias from the
orders they are given.
“In all reality hosting companies is not an indicator. With the advent
of docker and commandbox ANY hosting company is a CFML hosting company.
So in all reality there are more hosting companies for CFML right now
than ever since it’s inception.” - Luis Majano
How To Decide Which ColdFusion Hosting is Right For You
Each vendor has different strengths and weaknesses. To identify the best
vendor for your specific situation, start by defining your requirements
for a ColdFusion hosting service. Define your top priorities:
- Is speed a priority?
- Does scalability matter?
-
Do you need high uptime, stability, and the potential for longer-term
growth?
One big factor: Which variant of ColdFusion are you using? ACF, Lucee,
Enterprise Standard…
CF Enterprise VS CF Standard
Which version of Adobe ColdFusion are you running? CF Enterprise is an
advanced version of the development platform that provides many more
features than CF Standard. You can run multiple CF-developed websites on a
single server with both products. However, ColdFusion Enterprise supports
multiple server instances, which may be important if you want to separate
out different subsites.
Hosting Security
What level of security does your company need? Banking, financial services
or e-commerce companies require bulletproof security. A higher level of
security will cost more, but the investment may pay off through fewer
security breaches.
Higher security usually comes with tighter controls. Some companies favor
a more loose approach to security, so it is easier for them to keep
innovating, especially during the development phase. If you plan to
tighten security as you get closer to launch, make sure you understand the
cost and processes you are committing to.
Site Backup
Running a web app without a backup begs for trouble. Fortunately, most
companies appreciate the value of backups. But how do you prefer to do
your backup? Some web hosting companies, such as Hostwinds, offer
automatic backups as part of their packages. Others require you to make
backups yourself. If your team is doing their own backups, do you have
processes to ensure those backups are made?
Regardless of how you plan to back up, it’s a best practice always to have
multiple backups. An external offline backup is often a safe bet.
And no matter how you back up, make sure you test your backups regularly
to ensure they can be restored.
Web Hosting Support
Everyone needs a little help sometimes. Don’t assume you will be able to
get the support you need. Some hosts provide real-time help, including
phone calls, while others focus on a ticket support system with a 24-hour
turnaround. If your app is mission-critical, be sure to choose a
host that offers real-time, all-hands support.
Scalability
Plan for growth. If your app goes viral, you should understand ahead of
time what to expect in terms of timeframe and cost. Be sure a hosting
service can respond to your company’s growth in traffic and data.
Price Point
Many people consider price their top priority, but we believe in
considering it last. Set your “must-have” priorities, then look at the
price tag. It’s often easier to adjust your budget than to retool your
system and expectations to a cheaper option.
I would like to show you modern ColdFusion development best practices that
reduce stress, inefficiency, and project lifecycle costs while
simultaneously increasing project velocity and innovation. For this
purpose, I have created a 10- step checklist that you can download (for
free)
How Do We Pick the Best ColdFusion Hosting Company?
When I am selecting the best CF host for a particular project, I walk a
bit of a tightrope. I try to put myself in a CIO’s position. Making big
decisions — often stressed out and sometimes underappreciated. What
matters most to you?
The “best” host must fulfill the abovementioned needs while embracing
ColdFusion with a dedication that inspires confidence.
To me, peace of mind has as much value as stability or speed.
Of course, your criteria may be different from mine. Keep reading for
additional criteria and an independent list of the major CF hosting
companies.
In-House ColdFusion Hosting VS Managed Hosting?
The next step is to decide where your CF boxes will live.
Determining your basic hosting needs will dictate how you arrange your
servers. Does your company need in-house hosting or managed hosting?
And what’s the difference?
-
In-House Hosting means all servers and networking equipment are owned
and operated by your company. You are responsible for all maintenance
and DevOps. This costly option is in the domain of big players, with
millions of users capable of logging in at once. If you’re in that range
— lucky you!
-
Managed Hosting is a dedicated server or cloud server owned by a
third-party host and rented out as virtual space. Usually it includes
support and backups too.
-
Co-location is a hybrid solution. The servers are yours but they are
located at the hosting company’s location. Just as with in-house
hosting, you are responsible for all maintenance and DevOps on your
servers.
Here’s a pros and cons list for each to help determine which one is right
for you.
In-House ColdFusion Hosting
Pros:
- Control company-owned and company-maintained servers.
- Keep sensitive information secured within the company.
- Internet connection not required for data access.
- Cost-effective for companies not concerned with uptime.
Cons:
- Higher initial costs.
-
More personnel and money needed for maintenance, upgrades, and
day-to-day operations.
- Dedicated space needed for servers
-
More vulnerable during natural disasters if no offsite backup is made.
Managed ColdFusion Hosting
Pros:
- Dedicated server place is no longer required.
-
Cloud hosting is great for smaller companies that may outgrow their
infrastructure.
- Scalable and flexible.
- Lets you access from any place that has an internet connection.
- Easy backup is often included.
Cons:
- Speed limited by internet connection of the host.
-
Third-party hosting company has direct access to your sensitive
information.
- Can’t access data without internet connection.
- Dedicated solutions can be more difficult.
Co-location ColdFusion Hosting
There is another form of data hosting. Co-location (shared) hosting means
storing data on a server at a third-party location. You can access these
servers on-site or remotely. Shared hosting offers hybrid In-House and
Managed hosting, with a mix of benefits and disadvantages.
Pros:
-
It is less expensive than in-house hosting, making it great for
startups.
-
It is convenient, allowing a third party to manage your server hardware
while you focus on other things.
Cons:
- Limited capabilities. Does not scale well.
-
There can be security concerns with the lack of direct control of the
boxes.
ColdFusion is in the Cloud
Adobe’s ColdFusion experts and developers promised with CF 2021. They
delivered. From multi-cloud abilities, allowing users to choose cloud
hosting services at a granular level, to an agnostic stance about which
service you use, the newest version of CF promises to have more cloud
capability than its predecessors and competitors.
You can either roll your own CF cloud hosting solution( using AWS, DO,
Google or Microsoft Azure), or use a CF host cloud option. Let’s look at
these options in more detail.
Adobe ColdFusion Hosting in the Cloud
xByte Adobe Coldfusion Cloud Hosting
xByte Hosting offers cloud CF hosting. As you can see from the
testimonials, the clients are happy with the efficiency and quality of
their team's work.
xByte Hosting CF Hosting Pros:
- Their support team is available 24/7 via chat, phone, and email
- Offers a free trial.
- All major languages available.
-
xByte also specializes in Dedicated Servers, VPS, Hybrid Cloud,
Colocation services, and even OnPrem Servers
xByte Hosting CF Hosting Cons:
-
Company is new to the CF space, but team is very experienced in CF
- New control panel
- No extremely low-cost shared servers
Cost: You have the option to use a prebuilt plan or schedule a consult to
build your own.
Website:
https://www.xbytehosting.com
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
According to Amazon:
AWS is a secure cloud services platform offering computing power, database
storage, content delivery, and other functionalities to help businesses
scale and grow.
AWS can be very helpful for ColdFusion developers.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) Pros:
-
AWS has over 5 times the computing power of other leading providers.
-
Over 14 years of experience with hundreds of thousands of customers
around the globe.
- Has the following certifications:
- HIPAA
- SOC 1/SSAE 16/ISAE 3402 (formerly SAS70)
- SOC 2
- SOC 3
- PCI DSS Level 1
- ISO 27001
- FedRAMP
- DIACAP and FISMA
- ITAR
- FIPS 140-2
- CSA
- MPAA
AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cons:
- AWS can have a steep learning curve.
-
By default, AWS does not have Enterprise-grade support. Separate plans
must be purchased.
Cost: AWS works as a utilities company. You only pay for what you use.
They have a wide array of products with different price points. Beware if
you are not careful about usage or hackers gain use of your cloud servers,
your AWS bill can go through the roof!
Website:
https://aws.amazon.com
Digital Ocean
Digital Ocean Hosting is a cloud computing platform that focuses on
simplicity. Both simple to use and clearly priced Digital Ocean can
provide for your ColdFusion needs. The community at Digital Ocean
recommends running ColdFusion through Apache Tomcat or Apache HTTP Server.
Digital Ocean Pros:
- Reasonably priced compared to AWS and other cloud competitors.
- Simple to use and Amazon S3 compatible.
- Extreme user-friendliness with its U/I.
Digital Ocean Cons:
- No paid support.
- Pricing is the same whether you upload data or not.
- They do not offer as many regions as other services.
Cost: Basic services start at $5 per month and can scale up to $960.
Website:
https://www.digitalocean.com
GCP (Google Cloud Platform)
GCP is a cloud platform that boasts using Google’s core infrastructure,
data analytics, and machine learning. It is server-less, relying strictly
on cloud dynamics. They pride themselves on leading the industry in price
and performance.
GCP (Google Cloud Platform) Pros:
- The fastest I/O among the competition.
- Strong in storage segmenting and data analytics.
- Has a one-click browser-based SSH Console.
GCP (Google Cloud Platform) Cons:
- No control over Virtual Machines.
-
Limited choice of programming languages. (ColdFusion is not
pre-configured on GCP; however, a VM can be created on Compute Engine
and uploaded.)
- It is difficult to transition away from Google Cloud Platform.
Cost: GCP offers individual products so you can build the package that
best suits your needs. A handy pricing calculator is available on the site
to assist in constructing your custom line of services.
Website:
https://cloud.google.com
Illuminated Hosting Services
Illuminated provides both regular and cloud CF hosting. This company
excels in users and services. They are well respected and praised on
forums, often rated high when it comes to client satisfaction. Advanced
Hosting Services feature some of the following technologies: ColdFusion
hosting, .NET, NodeJS, PHP, Lucee, and WordPress 1 click install,
site.pro, and Python, among some others.
Illuminated Hosting Services Pros:
- All major languages available.
-
Illuminated also specializes in Dedicated Servers, VPS, Private Cloud,
Hybrid Cloud and Colocation services.
- Good customer service and support.
- Illuminated Hosting Services
- ColdFusion 2018 and 2021 is still not available.
Cost: you get an option to build your own plans, but the basic price goes
from $8/mo.
Website:
https://www.illuminatedhosting.com/
Microsoft Azure
One of the fastest-growing cloud service providers is Microsoft Azure. It
contains more cloud server regions than any other service provider, making
90% of Fortune 500 companies trust their data with them.
Microsoft Azure Pros:
- Adequate flexibility with access to VMs.
- Fully scalable and compatible with CFML.
- Great networking technology.
Microsoft Azure Cons:
- Expensive compared to other providers.
- Not very compatible with platforms other than Windows.
- There have been a series of outages in the past.
Cost: Microsoft follows the way of GCP and AWS with a pay-as-you-go
system, with a free 12-month introductory period for some services.
Depending on your selected products, you build a package best suited for
your budget. Microsoft Azure is expensive compared to other providers,
which Microsoft tacitly acknowledges by offering a cost-saving primer.
Website:
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/
Side note on Docker
-
Docker is not a CF host. It is a container tool that lets you run a CF
server on any cloud hosting provider.
-
Many CFers doing CF cloud hosting use Docker containers for their
virtual CF servers.
-
Easier spinning up of new developer or test servers (seconds vs. the
current days/weeks)
-
Elimination of server configuration errors on spinning up new
containers.
-
Option for future easy automated clustering of containers via Docker
orchestration software.
-
Docker is the company driving the container movement and the only
container platform provider to address every application across the
hybrid cloud.
Related: Mark Drew offers an enlightening perspective on how to get
started with Docker in our podcast, Getting Started Fast with Docker.
Pros:
-
Since Docker's containers are smaller than VMs, your current servers can
support more containers than VMs.
- Docker has lightning fast boot times.
- Docker works on all OSes.
Cons:
-
Containers are much more hacker-friendly. The security is not as
prevalent among containers than VMs.
- Containers are not 100% isolated.
-
Limiting access when dealing with containers is more tricky than with
VMs.
Cost: Docker’s basic community edition (CE) is available for free use.
However, Enterprise packages are available through consultation and
quotes.
Website:
https://www.docker.com
Adobe ColdFusion Hosting
Tip: Adobe ColdFusion has offered a list on its website with the noted
partners for ColdFusion hosting services. It’s worth listing them here.
Coalesce
Coalesce Solutions works with your company to create a bespoke solution
tailored to its business model and ambitions.
Coalesce depends on ColdFusion and AWS to build compliance-centered
application server solutions to support their requirements as a PCI DSS
(Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) Level 1 Service Provider,
as well as those of their customers operating in regulated environments
with requirements such as PCI, HIPAA, FISMA, and FedRAMP.
Pros:
-
Works with Adobe as a preferred vendor to build and offer ColdFusion
AMIs through AWS Marketplace, including AMI versions optimized by
Coalesce for security and AWS service consumption.
- Helps re-platform CF to work on AWS.
- Emphasis on security.
Cons:
-
AWS-centric, with an overall emphasis on migration and compliance.
Website:
https://www.coalesceservices.com/migration-acceleration
CFDynamics
CFDynamics provides hosting services for ColdFusion developers and
webmasters that need high-speed delivery and a stable development and
hosting platform.
The CF-centric hosting service tries to pack as many logical, useful
services as possible into its packages.
Pros:
-
Virtual Private Servers keep your data stored away from prying eyes.
- Bang for your buck.
- Money-back guarantee within 30 days of starting.
Cons:
- The admin panel and UI could be better.
Website:
https://cfdynamics.com
Hostek
Hostek is an Adobe ColdFusion hosting partner. They maintain a team of
ColdFusion experts on hand. They also offer Fusion Reactor, a ColdFusion
Monitoring platform, along with their services.
Hostek CF Hosting Pros:
-
Their support system offers three different ways to contact them:
- Live Chat
- Online Ticketing System
- 24/7 Phone Line
- You get a one-month free trial.
-
There are an array of technical specs with additional add-ons for
purchase.
Hostek CF Hosting Cons:
- Fluctuating performance speeds.
- Poor uptime.
- The control panel is not user-friendly.
Cost: In order to get a quote with Hostek, you must first schedule a free
consultation with one of their experts who will help build a plan suitable
for your company’s needs.
Website:
https://hostek.com
Media3
Media3 ColdFusion hosting service has been around since 1995.
Pros:
-
They know CF better than most. CF drives its entire support, billing,
sales, and control panel functions.
- Also a ColdFusion Cloud Hosting company.
Cons:
- Has a history of reliability issues.
Website:
https://www.media3.net/adobe.cfm
Newtek Technology Services
Newtek ColdFusion Web Hosting has provided ColdFusion hosting solutions
since 1997. The company also provides regulatory-compliant solutions,
including HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOX, FISMA, and more.
Pros:
- Around-the-clock US-based phone support.
- Packages built around the size of the business.
Cons:
- Some history of reliability issues.
Website:
https://newtektechnologysolutions.com/coldfusion-2018-hosting
Vivio Technologies
Vivio Web Hosting services is a ColdFusion Hosting partner offering remote
IT Server Management. It creates hosting plans individually giving control
of IT infrastructure and costs.
Pros:
- Automatic backups.
- Bespoke (custom) solutions.
- Money-back guarantee.
Cons:
- No free domain included.
- Higher pricing at entry-level.
Website:
https://viviotech.net/coldfusion-hosting/
Lucee CFML Hosting
What about the people using open-source CFML, such as Lucee?
Here's the list of hosting services as well.
Hostek
Hostek is an Adobe ColdFusion hosting partner. They maintain a team of
ColdFusion experts on hand. They also offer Fusion Reactor, a ColdFusion
Monitoring platform, along with their services.
Hostek CF Hosting Pros:
-
Their support system offers three different ways to contact them:
- Live Chat
- Online Ticketing System
- 24/7 Phone Line
- You get a one-month free trial.
-
There are an array of technical specs with additional add-ons for
purchase.
Hostek CF Hosting Cons:
- Fluctuating performance speeds.
- Poor uptime.
- The control panel is not user-friendly.
Cost: In order to get a quote with Hostek, you must first schedule a free
consultation with one of their experts who will help build a plan suitable
for your company’s needs.
Website:
https://hostek.com/
Hostmedia
Pros:
- Windows Lucee Hosting
- Linux Lucee Hosting
Cons:
- Some history of reliability issues.
Website:
https://www.hostmedia.co.uk
xByte Lucee Cloud Hosting
xByte Hosting offers cloud CF hosting for Lucee CFML. As you can see from
the testimonials, the clients are happy with the efficiency and quality of
their team's work.
xByte Hosting CF Hosting Pros:
- Their support team is available 24/7 via chat, phone, and email
- Offers a free trial.
- All major languages available.
-
xByte also specializes in Dedicated Servers, VPS, Hybrid Cloud,
Colocation services, and even OnPrem Servers
xByte Hosting CF Hosting Cons:
-
Company is new to the CF space, but team is very experienced in CF
- New control panel
- No extremely low-cost shared servers
Cost: You have the option to use a prebuilt plan or schedule a consult to
build your own.
Website:
https://www.xbytehosting.com/
Lightsail
An option that many CFers like to do is do a Lightsail deployment on AWS
and use Lucee.
Pros:
- It is not pricey.
- A good option because you have full control of the server.
Cons:
-
A few occasions with failure or bad code deployment, but that is also on
you and the quality of your code. 🙂
“Lightsail is just basically a very low-cost VPS with burst CPU capacity
and a bunch of proprietary images.” – Steele Parker, in CF
Programmers FB Group.
Website: Installing Lucee on AWS (EC2 or Lightsail)
BONUS: Here's a guide to set it up with CommandBox, which has a very
secure and fast production web server built-in.
Linode
“Linode and Lucee on a VM, perfect! And all in Europe. And, Linode support
is one of the best I've encountered. Fast, 2 the point, knowledgeable and
sincerely helpful. And even practical in helping. Do it 4 u or do it
yourself, you choose 😁.” - Sebastiaan Naafs-van Dijk
Pros:
- Decent alternative for AWS.
-
Simplify your infrastructure with Linode's cloud computing and hosting
solutions and develop, deploy, and scale faster and easier.
Cons:
-
Some problems related to memory consumption, network settings, etc. But,
the support and the troubleshooting guides are helpful in resolving this
quickly and efficiently.
Website: Onlinebase
Conclusion About ColdFusion Hosting
Congratulations for making it to the end of this post! This is a long,
comprehensive, and exhausting list, but the stakes are high for you and
your company.
We still think that it is not possible for one service to offer the best
configuration for all companies. The best ColdFusion hosting choice for
your project depends on many factors that we discussed above.
Remember to keep your company’s goals, infrastructure, and budget in mind
when choosing a ColdFusion hosting vendor. Be sure to note your needs and
restrictions.
Doing so will allow you to make the proper choice for all your ColdFusion
hosting needs.
Are there any other factors you consider when choosing a ColdFusion
hosting vendor?
What hosting service do you use and why?
